Idaho Scholarships

Incoming first-year and transfer students from WUE-eligible Western states who are admitted to the University of New Mexico are automatically considered for the Western Undergraduate Exchange Plus program. Eligible students need a 3.0 GPA or 20 ACT (1030 SAT). WUE Plus reduces non-resident tuition to the New Mexico resident rate, with a value of up to $23,149 per year. The award is renewable for up to four years with 15 credits and a 2.5 GPA each fall and spring semester. No separate scholarship application is required, but applying by your admission deadline improves consideration.

Automatic tuition scholarship for nonresident incoming first-year, transfer, and post-baccalaureate students who are legal residents of Idaho or Oregon with a high school or transfer GPA of 3.0 or higher. Recipients receive $18,600 per year for up to four years (maximum $74,400) applied to CWU tuition while enrolled full time in at least 12 credits per quarter. First-year students must confirm Fall admission by May 1; transfer students by August 1. Renewal requires a 2.75 CWU cumulative GPA, Satisfactory Academic Progress, and maintenance of a permanent address in Idaho or Oregon.

Pride Foundation's scholarship program supports LGBTQ+ student leaders in the Northwest. Since 1993 it has awarded more than $10 million to over 2,600 students, and one application enters students into consideration for more than 60 scholarship funds. In the 2025 cycle the minimum total award was $7,500 and the average award was $8,670. Applicants must identify as LGBTQ+ or questioning and be a resident of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington (current resident, or lived in one of these states for at least a year within the last five years); they may study elsewhere. Any post-secondary path qualifies, including community college, four-year college, certificate and vocational/technical programs, and graduate or professional school. Citizenship is not checked. The application opens in October and closes in early January, with decisions in June.

Practicing Idaho writers who are U.S. citizens, legal residents, or refugees and have lived in Idaho at least one year may apply for the state's biennial Writer in Residence honor. Applicants must be at least 18. The selected writer receives $5,000 annually for a two-year term and serves as Idaho's literary ambassador through readings, workshops, and outreach (four engagements per year, with most in underserved communities). Anonymous applications are judged by out-of-state literary experts and are due January 31 in alternating cycles via grants.arts.idaho.gov. The Idaho Commission on the Arts has administered this program since 1986 as the state's highest literary recognition.

The Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health Scholarship Program supports Idaho resident Lewis-Clark State College students majoring in health care fields including nursing, radiographic science, kinesiology, social work, or medical assistant. Applicants must have sophomore standing with at least twenty-six completed credits and a cumulative college GPA of 3.25 or higher. The Financial Aid Office awards four thousand dollars annually based on financial need, with an additional one thousand dollars when recipients maintain a 3.75 GPA or better. The scholarship renews for up to three years while eligibility requirements are met each semester.

Idaho residents with an unweighted cumulative GPA of 2.7 or above who graduated or will graduate from an Idaho high school (or equivalent) or Idaho home school, and who will attend an eligible Idaho college or university, may apply for the Idaho Opportunity Scholarship. Applicants must complete the State Board of Education scholarship application and the FAFSA, and must maintain satisfactory academic progress. The award is up to $3,500 per academic year and is renewable for a maximum of four years; recipients must renew each year. The number of recipients varies. Apply via Scholarship Idaho. The program was established by Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter and the Idaho Legislature to remove barriers to higher education and prepare graduates for the workforce.

Practicing mentor artists at least 18 who are U.S. citizens, legal residents, or refugees may apply to teach traditional folk arts to qualified Idaho apprentices. Apprentices must live in Idaho and commit to continuing the art form after the apprenticeship. Grants up to $3,500 fund a learning partnership lasting up to ten months and must include a public presentation or demonstration. Funds are disbursed to the mentor artist. Apply annually by January 31 through grants.arts.idaho.gov. Idaho Commission on the Arts lists this as a live individual-artist grant while broader merit fellowships remain suspended pending program redesign. The Idaho Commission on the Arts is the state agency supporting folk and traditional arts preservation.

Automatic merit scholarship for incoming Idaho resident transfer students with at least 14 post-high school college credits and a cumulative college GPA of 3.90 to 4.00. The award pays $3,000 per year for up to two years while recipients enroll full time, complete at least 24 fall and spring credits, and maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Boise State uses transfer admission application and transcripts received by February 15 for fall or October 1 for spring; no separate scholarship application is required.

High school seniors or college students in Washington, Idaho, or Oregon planning careers in nuclear science, nuclear engineering, or related fields may apply. Exceptions outside those states may be considered. Applicants must be enrolled full-time at a four-year U.S. college or university. One recipient receives a one-year $2,500 scholarship. Email the complete application package to ANS-EWS@proton.me. Proof of enrollment is required before funds are released.

Female NSPS student members enrolled in two- or four-year surveying or related degree programs who are legal residents of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, or Wyoming may apply for the $2,000 Cady McDonnell Memorial Scholarship, awarded in odd-numbered years only. One award is available. Submit an application, proof of residency, transcripts, three recommendations, and a personal letter through the NSPS Foundation scholarship application.